


Stolen Summer

by PaperbackGarden



Category: Gravity Falls, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Does it count if the death happens before the story?, Gen, More TAZ than Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-01-23 13:37:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12508636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperbackGarden/pseuds/PaperbackGarden
Summary: This is Taako's first time in the small town of Gravity Falls. He has, for sure, never been here before, much less with his twin sister. That would be odd, seeing as he is an only child.This is Magnus' first run in with magic. Before this, he never had anything to do with the magical side of this town, despite living here for his entire life. He certainly never befriended a magical jellyfish just last summer. What a weird thing to say.This is Merle's first first time dealing with the being from the other dimension. Sure he learned how to beat John at chess faster than he'd learned anything before, but that had nothing to do with possibly spending all last summer playing against him. That was ridiculous.This wasn't Lucretia's first time introducing herself to the group, nor was it her first time trying and failing to keep them out of trouble. It was her first time doing this as an adult, but that was okay. She was making it work. It would have to work.God only knows what would happen if it didn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is more super based off Gravity Falls than a true AU. TAZ characters don't take the exact role of Gravity Falls characters. (For example: Lucretia is hiding things from the group, but she's not Stan. Magnus is a badass teenager, but he's not Wendy. Merle is an optimistic adult who works at the Mystery Shack but he's not Soos- actually no that last one checks out.)  
> So with that said, I hope you enjoy this!

There was yelling, both scared and happy, and voices, all around in a jumbled mess. Telling him to keep a journal (all seven of them would be), telling him he was a dork, shouting at him to move, and wishing him a happy birthday, all over the top of unrelated images. A zombie being hit with an umbrella, a kid in glasses watching a skeletal mouse run in circles, a bunker, a spaceship, and a map he can hardly read through the tears. 

Taako blinked his eyes open as the dream slipped away, forgotten, as most dreams are. The sun filtered in through the triangular window as he sat up in bed. Just another day in the most boring small town in all of Oregon, possibly the whole world. He slid out of bed and got dressed. He tried his best not to look at the other bed in the room, perfectly made and untouched. Something about it felt weird and wrong, so he opted to just ignore it completely. He made his way downstairs after he finished getting ready, moving quietly. Maybe, if he was silent enough, he could get outside and make it to town without-  
"Taako-Bell!" An annoying voice called. "Come work the register for me for a sec, m'kay?"  
"I'm thirteen. Child labor laws, Garfield." He responded. Technically this obnoxious shell of a human was his distant relative, but he Taako refused to believe it. The way he saw it, his aunt sent him to spend the summer with complete strangers.  
"Well Magnus is late again sooooo until he gets here he needs someone to take over for him!"  
"Get one of the other two to do it. Plant weirdo and what's-her-face." Taako responded, backing towards the door.  
"Merle is doing another job and Lucretia has the day off." Garfield said, placing his hands on his hips.  
"Then here's an idea." Taako said, opening the door and stepping outside, "Work your own damn store." and he closed it behind him, shutting off any response Garfield had.

It was miserably hot outside, and for a second Taako considered going back in and accepting his fate as cheap labor, but it would be a hit to his pride that he didn’t really need so early in the summer. Instead, Taako made his way to the woods in search for some shade or possibly a stream.  
He navigated the forest with surprising ease, eventually coming to a small creek partially in the shade of some trees. Perfect. He pulled off his shoes and sat at the edge of the water with his feet in the creek. It was a nice location, sure, but it quickly became painfully boring. After about a minute he decided to pick up his shoes and walk upstream a little. He gingerly made his way through the rocks, the water going up just a little past his ankles. Maybe he’d actually find something worth seeing, though he doubted it.  
Taako picked his way through the rocky stream for a while before he heard the sounds of hammering and arguing. Quickly and as silently as possible, he left the creek and pulled his shoes on. Carefully he snuck towards the sounds.  
“... because I want to get paid, Merle!”  
“But if we just left for five minutes-”  
“We would end up fired.”  
“Like he’d fire us.”  
Taako hid behind a nearby tree, watching them argue as the younger one hung signs. What they were fighting over didn’t really concern him, he just knew one thing: He most definitely had to mess with these fools.

\---

Magnus hung another sign, hitting the nail hard with his hammer. He’d arrived with the golf cart not even a full five minutes ago and Merle was already trying to convince him to do something stupid.  
“I swear on my honor kid I saw something.”  
“I’m fifteen! I’m not a kid.”  
“Yeah well I’m a lot older than you so…”  
“Sooooo you should be old enough to help do the work.” He responded, pushing signs into Merle’s arms. “I nail, you hang?”  
“Fine fine.”  
For a second it seemed like everything would be fine and normal, but then Merle made a sound.  
“What is it now, old man?” Magnus asked as he turned around, and was greeted by a path of trees with nails sticking out of them but no signs.  
“Um, that’s not normal.” Magnus said.  
“You don't say.” Merle responded sarcastically.  
Magnus couldn’t blame Merle for this. It was just extra work and Merle would have no reason to do that. So that means someone else had to be there.  
“I know you’re here!” Magnus called out “Step out of the trees and we won’t have a problem.”  
Magnus was expecting a kid or some of his friends to step out. This is the type of thing Carey would pull, after all, but instead a stout man stepped out of the trees.  
“I don’t know how you know I was in there…” He said “But I heard you arguing about pay and I think I can offer you a job. It’s really simple, just something you can do on your free time. I need you to help me find something in these woods.”  
“A job you say?” Came a voice behind Magnus. A kid a bit younger than him with a thin build and shoulder-length hair dropped the stack of signs, _their signs_ , he was holding. Where are these people coming from? “What do you have in mind my guy?”  
“There’s a journal hidden in these woods that hold a lot of value to me. If you find it, I can reward you handsomely.”  
“Hell yeah something to do AND a way to make money. Taako’s all in.”  
Magnus shrugged. Something about this didn't sit right, but he did need some cash. “I don’t see why not.”  
“I’ll help too.” Merle said, though he was eyeing the kid, Taako, (Who names their kid that?) with distrust.  
“Alright. If you find it, contact me.”  
“How are we supposed to contact you exactly?” Magnus pressed.  
“I’ll be in town. Ask for Gundren Rockseeker.”  
“You don’t have a phone number to give us…” Merle asked.  
“No. Just… Just ask for Gundren. It’s not that hard.”  
“Ask for Gundren. Okay can do.” Taako said “But uh, one more thing. What’s so special about this journal?”  
Gundren laughed, eyes gliniting. “That’s a mystery I’d rather keep to myself.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This project was supposed to get abandoned. There is far too much to cover and I did not think my first chapter was that good. I rediscovered it recently though and got myself hooked on this idea again.  
> Plus writing Taako is fun.  
> I've discovered Magnus is the hardest to write.

While the other two finished their shift, Taako hunted the woods. He had to find that journal before Merle and Magnus, and with extra time on his hands and the fact that he lived in the Mystery Shack, there was a pretty good chance he would be able to.  
Something about searching the woods felt natural, like walking through your school schedule during second semester. He had never been this deep in these woods, but something told him he would not get lost. For a place so muddy, full of bugs, and so potentially dangerous, it oddly enough felt like home. Heh. What a ridiculous thought. This place? Home? His own house didn't feel like home, a shack in the forest sure as hell never would either. And yet... Taako's thoughts were interrupted when he passed a tree, bringing a large cave into view. It loomed ahead mysteriously, as if calling him into its depths. It looked almost like something in the very back was glowing.  
It did not matter how much the creepy guy was offering, that cave was beyond Taako's pay grade.

He turned on his heel and started back in the other direction when he saw them. Merle and Magnus, working together not far from where Taako stood. They had a map of the forest and were marking stuff as they went.  
Merle looked up and made eye contact with Taako. Shit.  
As Merle opened his mouth to call out, Taako spun back around and disappeared into the cave.

\---

Following the boy probably wasn't the best idea. How did they know he even knew where he was going? Something told Merle they should though, that if the kid was walking into a place like that, it was important enough to go with him. "Hey Maggie I think we should follow the kid." "What?" He asked, looking around "I don't see anyone." "He went in the cave. It was the boy from earlier. I think he said his name was Taako?" "I'm not even going to question it. Let's go catch up to him!" Merle trotted behind the racing teenager, a smile pulling at his lips. They entered the cave and Magnus called out. "Taako? You in here?" "Son of a- yeah I'm here." A voice from down the cave called. "We want to team up with you." "Sure you do." Taako said, walking into view with an umbrella and something else Merle couldn't quite make out. "You want to take the credit for this fucking fantastic find." He held up the thing in his hands, revealing a journal with a leather cover. The front was decorated with images of flames and light in orange, red, and yellow. "Read it and weep my dudes. Cha boy is getting that award." "Is this how your generation talks?" Merle asked Magnus. "No I think it's just him." "I believe you're just jealous." Taako said, a smile pulling at his face. "Cause I also found this sweet-ass umbrella." "Jealous? Of that thing? It looks ridiculous!" Taako walked past Merle and Magnus, heading for the way out of the cave. "Jeeeaaaalooouuus" Merle went to follow him, but paused when he saw that the mushrooms on the walls were glowing and moving. It didn't seem normal for mushrooms to shift when there was no breeze, and they shouldn't glow this close to the surface. Something wasn't right, and for some reason, Merle had the distinct urge to write it down.


End file.
